Peatlands

In News 

• The Peatlands in the Central Congo basin require significant investment and more research to safeguard them: State of the Forests 2021.

Peatlands 

• About:
  • They are a type of wetland that occurs in almost every country on the globe.
    • They occur in different climate zones. While in tropical climate, they can occur in mangroves, in Arctic regions, 
  • They  are formed due to the accumulation of partially decomposed plant remains over thousands of years under conditions of water-logging. 
  • Congo basin has the world’s largest tropical peatlands, discovered in 2017.
    • Also known as the Cuvette Centrale peatlands, the world’s largest tropical peatland complex covers over 145,500 square kilometres. 
• Benefits: 
  • They are critical for preventing and mitigating the effects of climate change, preserving biodiversity, minimising flood risk, and ensuring safe drinking water.
  • They are the largest natural terrestrial carbon store. They store more carbon than all other vegetation types in the world combined.
  • They secure the livelihoods of communities that live in these landscapes.

• Threats: 
  • The peatlands face significant threats due to hydrocarbon exploration, logging, palm oil plantations, hydroelectric dams and climate change. 

• Conservation Efforts: 
  • There are several international and regional agreements and conventions, such as the Ramsar Convention, the United Nations Environmental Assembly Resolution and the Brazzaville Declaration on Peatlands, with provisions for sustainable management of peatlands and their protection.
  • However, there is an urgent need to strengthen national institutions and frameworks for effective application and implementation of these agreements and commitments, the report s

Source:DTE